Rectilinear combers for textile fibers



March 24, 1964 R. GAUVAIN RECTILINEAR COMBERS FOR TEXTILE FIBERS 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 6, 1960 Fig-l PRIOR ART March 24, 1964 R.GAUVAIN 3,125,783

REQTILINEAR COMBERS FOR TEXTILE FIBERS Filed Sept. 6, 1960 2Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent RECTILKNEAR COMBERS FUR TEXTILEFIBERS Roger Gauvain, liuhl Haut-Rhin, France, assignor to SocieteAlsacienne de Constructions Mecaniques Mulhouse-Haut-Rhin, France, acompany of France Filed Sept. 6, 1%0, Ser. No. 54,037 Claims priority,application France Sept. 11, 1959 6 Claims. (Cl. 19-425) This inventionrelates to rectilinear combers for textile fibers, especially for shortstaple fibers such as cotton.

More particularly the invention relates to combing machinery having acombed fiber take-off device comprising rolls between which the combedfibers are passed and an oscillating nipper with lower and upper jawsfor pressing together and retaining the fibers at the time when theirleading ends are combed.

In conventional practice, the take-off devices of such machines have twopairs of rolls of substantially equal diameter as shown in FIG. 1. Suchan arrangement has disadvantages. For one thing, the separation of theaxes of the rolls of each pair, which determines the distance over whichthe fibers are nipped, must be short and the more so, the shorter arethe fibers to be treated. Also, the room available for disposal of therolls, due to the need to bring the two pairs of rolls close to oneanother, is small and this too severely limits the diameters of therolls, with the result that they are subject to flexure. Thisdisadvantage is enhanced by the need to cover one roll at least of eachpair with a flexible, elastic material, the thickness of which reducescorrespondingly the diameter of the rigid metallic core of the roll,whose outside diameter is limited as stated above by the requiredcloseness of the axes of the rolls of each pair. Thus, the thickness ofthe fiexible, elastic covering is severely limited by the need to makethe roll stilt enough and a desired degree of suppleness of the coveringcannot easily be achieved.

With rolls of small diameter their angular velocity must be high toachieve the necessary peripheral speed. This raises further difficultiesbecause of the continual reversals of rotation of the rolls during thecombing operation.

Moreover, the rolls of each pair must rotate at strictly equalperipheral speeds and this gives rise to further dilficulties.

One object of this invention is to provide a comber whose fiber take-offdevice is free from the above-mentioned disadvantages.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide a fiber take-offdevice for a rectilinear comber comprising a single lower driving rollof relatively large diameter and in contact therewith two upper idlerpressure rolls of relatively small diameter.

With such a device, the same peripheral speed requires a considerablylower angular velocity of the lower driving roll than the angularvelocities of the two pairs of rolls of a comparable conventionaldevice. This simplifies the problems of reversal of rotation of thedriving roll whose kinetic energy is much less. Furthermore, the problemof equalizing the peripheral speeds of independent rolls no longerarises, as there is but one driving roll, which drives the other two byfrictional contact.

The necessary flexible, elastic covering may be applied to the lowerdriving roll leaving the two smaller metallic idler rolls bare thusenabling the latter to be made stiff enough while keeping their diametersmall enough to obtain the required short length of nip and at the sametime enabling the flexible covering (of the large driving roll) to bemade as thick as may be required.

It is further desirable to keep the sorting base i.e. the distancebetween the jaws of the nipper and the nip of the pressure roll nearestthe nipper, as nearly constant as possible, since this improves thecombing performance.

Accordingly, a still further object of the invention is to provide afiber take-oil device in which means are provided for displacing the nipof the idler pressure roll nearest the nipper concentrically of thedriving roll once per cycle of the machine, so that it follows thenipper for part at least of the latters stroke; and achievement of thisfurther object is facilitated by the construction forming an object ofthe invention comprising a single driving roll of relatively largediameter, which construction moreover makes it comparatively easy forthe beak of the lower jaw of the nipper to follow a path concentric withthe periphery of the driving roll over a considerable portion of itsstroke as it reciprocates substantially tangentially to the periphery ofa circular comb from and towards a predetermined tangent point thereof.An arrangement having this effect constitutes yet another object of theinvention.

How the foregoing objects of the invention and such others as mayhereinafter appear may be practically achieved and the nature of theinvention generally will be more fully understood from the followingdescription having reference to the accompanying drawings of embodimentsof the invention, given by way of example only and without impliedlimitation of the scope of the invention, which is defined in theappended claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic illustration of the rolls of a conventionalfiber take-off device for a rectilinear comber;

FIGURE 2 illustrates schematically an arrangement of the driving andidler-pressure rolls of a fiber take-off device according to the presentinvention;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 illustrating a modification;

FIGURE 4 illustrates in side elevation the complete assembly of anotherembodiment; and

FIGURE 5 illustrates a detail of FIGURE 4 on an enlarged scale.

Referring to FIGURE 2, the combed fiber take-off device of therectilinear comber comprises a lower driven metallic roll 11 coveredwith a thick layer of flexibleelastic material of relatively largediameter 12 and two upper idler-pressure rolls 13, 14 of equal andrelatively small diameter closely coupled together by means of sideplates 16 in which they are rotatably mounted, pressure being applied tothe plates 16 in the direction of the straight arrow.

In the arrangement of FIGURE 2, the rolls 13, 14 are made of metal andare bare, thus developing the maximum stiffness corresponding to theirdiameters.

Because of its relatively large diameter, the angular velocity of thedriving roll 11, 12 for a given peripheral speed is relatively low andconsequently the inert eifects, which come into play every time thedirection of rotation of the roll is reversed, and which areproportional to the square of the angular velocity, are considerablyreduced when compared with those of a conventional arrangement havingsmall diameter rolls as illustrated in FIGURE 1. Moreover, the largediameter of the roll 11, 12 considerably simplifies the design andconstruction of the differential controlling mechanism (not illustrated)which imparts to the roll an intermittent motion in which more extensiveforward rotational displacements alternate with less extensiverotational displacements in the return direction.

Again, because of the large diameter of the roll 11,

12, the thickness of its flexible elastic covering 12 is not limited byconsiderations of stiffness and can be made as great as may be requiredto provide the desired suppleness and it does not depend on the lengthof nip, that 3 is to say, the distance between the points of contact ofthe rolls 13, M with the roll 11, 12.

Since both the rolls 1?), 14 are frictionally driven by the roll ll, 12,their peripheral speeds are necessarily strictly equal.

The close coupling of the rolls I3, 14 enables the length of the nip tobe made short and this is particularly valuable when dealing with shortstaple fibers, such as cotton.

In the modification illustrated in FIGURE 3, the pressure rolls 13a, 14aare covered with layers 13b, 14b of flexible elastic material with thedriving roll 11a free of such covering thereby having a hard surface inwhich is formed longitudinal grooves 15. Although the fiexural stiffnessof the pressure rolls 13a, 14a is somewhat reduced by the reduceddiameters of their metallic cores, the high degree of friction exertedby the grooves 15 on the coverings 13b, 14b of the rolls 13a, 14aprovides a somewhat better entrainment of the fibres than thearrangement of FIGURE 2.

Referring again to FIGURE 2, the distance between the axes of thepressure rolls 13, 14 is constant as the same is fixed by the sideplates 16 carrying the rolls.

In the arrangement illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5, however, the distancebetween the axes of the rolls 13, 14 is variable, being controlled by amechanism designed to keep substantially constant the sorting base(previously defined) at least during an appreciable fraction of thestroke of the nipper.

In the construction illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5, the idler-pressureroll 14 remote from nipper N is mounted by means (not illustrated) sothat the position of its axis is fixed, while the pressure roll 13nearest the nipper is mounted for rotation on one end of a curved lever17 whose other end is pivotally mounted at 18 on an oscillating arm 19pivotally mounted at Zil on a fixed part of the machine. The lever 17 isloaded by spring 39 which applies the contact pressure between the rolls13 and 11. The arm 19 is rigidly connected to another arm 21 which isconnected by a crank pin 22 to one end of a link 23 whose other end issimilarly connected at 24 to one limb of an oscillating fork 25 whichpivots freely about a shaft 26 from which the nipper is suspended bymeans of an arm 29 fast on the shaft 26. The other limb of the fork 25carries a roller 31 which engages in a groove 32 in the form of a closedloop formed in a cam 33 which is driven continuously at uniformrotational speed by a transmission from the main driving shaft of themachine (not illustrated) at the rate of one revolution per combingcycle.

The circular comb per se is shown at 34 with its needles being indicatedat 35.

The nipper N comprises a lever constituting upper jaw 2'7 and a lowerjaw 28 terminating in a beak 38 with both jaws being pivotally mountedat Sit on the suspension arm 29. The jaws 27, 23 have rearwardextensions or arms 27a, 28a and are thereby substantially equilibratedabout their pivot 30 in the manner of a balance beam.

The paths followed by the jaws 27, 2d are determined by guiding meansconstituted by fixed guide tracks 41, 42 of suitable profile engaged byrollers 43, 44 carried respectively by the extensions 27a, 23a of thejaws 27, 28.

FIGURE illustrates the movements of the nipper and of the pressure roll13 with the elements 13, i7, 27, 28 being shown in full lines when atone extreme position of their movements and in chain dotted lines at thepositions occupied by them after an appreciable retraction of the nipperfrom the said extreme position. In moving along the periphery of theroll 11 from full-line position to the chain-dotted line position, theaxis of roll 13 describes an arc of angular extent and about the axis ofthe shaft 36 carrying the roll 11. This movement takes place insynchronism with the rearward displacement of the nipper jaws 27, 28-from the full-line position to the chain-dotted line position with thesedisplacements of the roll 13 and nipper jaws 27, 28 being such that thesorting base, i.e. the distance between the nip of roll 13 and the peak38 of the lower nipper jaw 28 remains substantially constant during therearward movement of the nipper. Coordination of the motions of the roll13 and the nipper N is ensured by a suitable choice of the profiles ofthe cam groove 32 and of the guides 41, 42. The relatively largediameter of the driving roll 11 enables the extent of the displacementof the nipper jaws 27, 28 over which the sorting base remainssubstantially constant to occupy a considerably larger fraction of thetotal displacement of the nipper jaws than is possible with theconventional arrangements of rolls as illustrated in FIGURE 1. Moreover,the large diameter of roll 11 makes it possible for the nipper jaws tofollow a path corresponding closely to the surface of the driving roll,a result of which is impossible or diificult of attainment withconventional arrangements as illustrated in FIGURE 1.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to theparticular form of constructions illustrated in the drawings, but issusceptible of numerous modifications and variants within the competenceof those skilled in the art, without thereby departing from the spiritand scope of the invention as defined in the hereto appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a rectilinear combing machine, in combination, a circular comb, adetaching mechanism comprising opposed upper and lower rolls with thelower roll being of greater diameter than the upper roll and a forwardlyand backwarclly swinging nipper arrangement co-operating with saiddetaching mechanism, said nipper arrangement including a suspension rodhaving upper and lower ends, means pivotally securing the upper end ofthe suspension rod about a fixed point of the machine located above theaxis of said circular comb, two substantially horizontal nipper levers,each lever having arms, said levers being fulcrumed in substantiallystable equilibrium on a common pivotal point at the lower end of saidsuspension rod, one of said nipper levers comprising an upper nipper jawand the other nipper lever a lower nipper jaw, one arm of one of saidlevers carrying the upper jaw and one arm of the other lever carryingthe lower jaw of said nipper arrangement, means to impart swingingmotion to said suspension rod about said fixed point to thus move thenipper levers relatively to the periphery of the circular comb, andmeans to guide the other arms of said two levers each along one of twodistinct arcuate paths respectively, one of said two paths beingdesigned so that said lower jaw reciprocates substantially tangentiallyto the periphery of said circular comb from and towards a predeterminedtangent point thereof and further describes an are substantiallyconcentric to said lower roll and the other path being designed so as toproduce opening and closing movement, respectively of said upper jawrelatively to the lower jaw as the latter reciprocates from and towardssaid tangent point.

2. A rectilinear combing machine as claimed in claim 1 further includinga second upper roll located closer to said jaws than the first mentionedupper roll, and means for oscillating said second upper roll in a pathconcentric to said lower roll.

3. A rectilinear combing machine as claimed in claim 2 in which saidlast-named means is operative to maintain substantially constant thedistance between the lower jaw and the point of contact of said secondupper roll on said lower roll at least during a part of the movement ofsaid lower jaw away from said first mentioned upper roll.

4. A rectilinear combing machine as claimed in claim 1 including asecond upper roll located closer to said jaws than the first mentionedupper roll, lever means having opposite ends, means mounting said secondupper roll at one end of said lever means, spring means operablyconnected to the lever means to apply said second upper roll withpressure against said lower roll, a rocking arm, means pivotallyconnecting the other end of the lever means to said rocking arm, a cammechanism for imparting to said rocking arm a to-and-fro oscillation oflimited extent once in each complete combing cycle, and means actuatedby said cam mechanism for oscillating said jaws.

*5. A rectilinear combing machine as claimed in claim 4 said last-namedmeans comprising transmission means operably connecting said cammechanism to said rocking arm and nipper levers, respectively, soconstructed and arranged that the distance between the lower jaw and thepoint of contact of said second upper roll on said lower roll remainssubstantially constant at least during a substantial part of themovement of said lower jaw away from said first mentioned upper roll.

6. A rectilinear combing machine as claimed in claim 6 4 in which saidcam mechanism includes a cam rotatable at the rate of one revolution percombing cycle, a cam follower, said last-named means comprisingtransmission means for connecting said cam follower with said rockingarm and said suspension rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,126,774 Jolly et a1. Feb. 2, 1915 1,224,985 Whitin May 8, 19171,245,919 Hindley Nov. 6, 1917 2,558,706 Hinson June 26, 1951 2,680,885Schleifer June 15, 1954 3,074,119 Gauvain Jan. 22, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS316,485 Great Britain Aug. 1, 1929

1. IN A RECTILINEAR COMBING MACHINE, IN COMBINATION, A CIRCULAR COMB, ADETACHING MECHANISM COMPRISING OPPOSED UPPER AND LOWER ROLLS WITH THELOWER ROLL BEING OF GREATER DIAMETER THAN THE UPPER ROLL AND A FORWARDLYAND BACKWARDLY SWINGIN NIPPER ARRANGEMENT CO-OPERATING WITH SAIDDETACHING MECHANISM, SAID NIPPER ARRANGEMENT INCLUDING A SUSPENSION RODHAVING UPPER AND LOWER ENDS, MEANS PIVOTALLY SECURING THE UPPER END OFTHE SUSPENSION ROD ABOUT A FIXED POINT OF THE MACHINE LOCATED ABOVE THEAXIS OF SAID CIRCULAR COMB, TWO SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL NIPPER LEVERS,EACH LEVER HAVING ARMS, SAID LEVERS BEING FULCRUMED IN SUBSTANTIALLYSTABLE EQUILIBRIUM ON A COMMON PIVOTAL POINT AT THE LOWR END OF SAIDSUSPENSION ROD, ONE OF SAID NIPPER LEVERS COMPRISING AN UPPER NIPPER JAWAND THE OTHER NIPPER LEVER A LOWER NIPPER JAW, ONE ARM OF ONE OF SAIDLEVERS CARRYING THE UPPER JAW AND ONE ARM OF THE OTHER LEVER CARRYINGTHE LOWER JAW OF SAID NIPPER ARRANGEMENT, MEANS TO IMPART SWINGINGMOTION TO SAID SUSPENSION ROD ABOUT SAID FIXED POINT TO THUS MOVE THENIPPER LEVERS RELATIVELY TO THE PERIPHERY OF THE CIRCULAR COMB, ANDMEANS TO GUIDE THE OTHER ARMS OF SAID TWO LEVERS EACH ALONG ONE OF TWODISTINCT ARCUATE PATHS RESPECTIVELY, ONE OF SAID TWO PATHS BEINGDESIGNED SO THAT SAID LOWER JAW RECIPROCATES SUBSTANTIALLY TANGENTIALLYTO THE PERPHERY OF SAID CIRCULAR COMB FROM AND TOWARDS A PREDETERMINEDTANGENT POINT THEREOF AND FURTHER DESCRIBES AN ARC SUBSTANTIALLYCONCENTRIC TO SAID LOWER ROLL AND THE OTHER PATH BEING DESIGNED SO AS TOPRODUCE OPENING AND CLOSING MOVEMENT, RESPECTIVELY OF SAID UPPER JAWRELATIVELY TO THE LOWER JAW AS THE LATTER RECIPROCATES FROM AND TOWARDSSAID TANGENT POINT.